Wireless signal transmission systems and methods

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for leveraging multipath wireless transmissions for charging devices within multipath signaling environment. Techniques according to the present technology include determining a received signal strength of a radio frequency signal received via a plurality of paths at two or more antennas of a plurality of antennas of an antenna array. The techniques also include configuring parameters for transmission of a wireless power signal over one or more paths of the plurality of paths for which the received signal strength exceeds a threshold value. The techniques further include directing at least a portion of the plurality of antennas to transmit the wireless power signal over the one or more paths according to the parameters. Resulting signal transmissions may thus be directionally biased toward least lossy pathways between a wireless power transmitter and a device in need of receiving wireless power.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/578,718 filed on Sep. 23, 2019, and now allowed; which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/381,957 filed onDec. 16, 2016, and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,424,972 on Sep. 24, 2019;which claims priority to and benefit from U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/268,651 filed on Dec. 17, 2015, the entire contentsof each of which is incorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The technology described herein relates generally to the field ofwireless power transmission and, more specifically, to wireless powertransfer and data communication in multipath vehicle environments.

BACKGROUND

Many electronic devices are powered by batteries. Rechargeable batteriesare often used to avoid the cost of replacing conventional dry-cellbatteries and to conserve precious resources. However, rechargingbatteries with conventional rechargeable battery chargers requiresaccess to an alternating current (AC) power outlet, which is sometimesnot available or not convenient. It is, therefore, desirable to derivepower for electronics wirelessly.

Magnetic or induction based coupling requires a charger and the receiverto be in extremely close proximity to one another. Wireless charging ofdevices across a larger distance, however, requires more advancedmechanisms, such as transmission via radio frequency (RF) signals,ultrasonic transmissions, laser powering, etc., each of which present anumber of unique hurdles to commercial success.

Currently, vehicle manufacturers rely heavily on wired solutions forproviding power to mobile devices. These solutions can include dockingstations, USB ports, or adapters plugged into 12 volt receptacles.However, when there are multiple devices in the vehicle requiringcharging, the wires quickly become a tangle, and often there areinsufficient ports to service more than one or two devices at any giventime.

Some car manufacturers have explored utilizing magnetic or inductionbased coupling for charging pads integrated into a vehicle's console ordashboard. This solution eliminates the need for wires, but requires thedevice to be placed in a very specific position. The user is required toforfeit the device during charging, and cannot use the device and stillreceive charge (due to proximity restraints). As such, most users havebeen hesitant to adopt such a system. Ideally, a vehicle would allow forwireless charging regardless of device location within the vehicle.

Unfortunately, this type of wireless charging, e.g., over greaterdistances, within a vehicle poses various unique challenges. Forexample, the potential locations of devices receiving wireless power andpeople within a vehicle are generally more limited than in otherenvironments. Moreover, the physical space limitations of a vehicleensure that passengers are located near both the wireless charger andthe devices receiving wireless power. A vehicle also typically has avery crowded footprint resulting in limited line-of-sight possibilitiesbetween the devices receiving wireless power and a charger.

Accordingly, a need exists for technology that overcomes the problemdemonstrated above, as well as one that provides additional benefits.The examples provided herein of some prior or related systems and theirassociated limitations are intended to be illustrative and notexclusive. Other limitations of existing or prior systems will becomeapparent to those of skill in the art upon reading the followingDetailed Description.

SUMMARY

To achieve the foregoing and in accordance with the present invention,systems and methods for leveraging multipath wireless transmissions forhigh data rate communication and charging of devices, within a vehicle,is provided.

In some embodiments, the method includes deploying a wireless chargerwithin a vehicle interior. This charger may be deployed in the centerconsole, dashboard or ceiling of the vehicle. The wireless chargerincludes an array of antennas, which may detect an incoming signal froma client device. Each antenna in the array may determine an offset forthe received signal, which is then used to tune parameters for eachantenna individually. Thus, upon transmission, the resulting signal isdirectionally biased toward the least lossy paths between the device andthe charger. These paths avoid passengers and other sources of signalattenuation. Thus, for a given total power envelope, a greater totalsignal amplitude may be delivered to the device, with reduced exposureto any occupants of the vehicle.

Additionally, the interior of the vehicle may be provisioned to helpimprove multipath focusing of transmissions. This may include selectionof different materials to increase reflective properties, or even theinclusion of special reflectors, such as a metal mesh into the seatcushion, into the vehicle design. Such systems and methods may bedeployed within any vehicle type, including a car, boat, truck, airplaneand train, for example. Likewise, while RF transmissions are ofparticular interest in some embodiments, it is also possible thattransmissions could be an ultrasonic acoustic wave, a photonic signal,or magnetic oscillations.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the TechnicalDisclosure. It may be understood that this Summary is not intended toidentify key features or essential features of the claimed subjectmatter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimedsubject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

One or more embodiments of the present invention are illustrated by wayof example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanyingdrawings, in which like references indicate similar elements.

FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram including an example wireless powerdelivery environment illustrating wireless power delivery from one ormore wireless power transmission systems to various wireless deviceswithin the wireless power delivery environment in accordance with someembodiments.

FIG. 2 depicts a sequence diagram illustrating example operationsbetween a wireless power transmission system and a wireless receiverclient for commencing wireless power delivery in accordance with someembodiments.

FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram illustrating example components of awireless power transmission system in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 4 depicts a block diagram illustrating example components of awireless power receiver client in accordance with some embodiments.

FIGS. 5A and 5B depict diagrams illustrating an example multipathwireless power delivery environment in accordance with some embodiments.

FIGS. 6A and 6B depict diagrams illustrating an example vehicleenvironment where wireless charging is occurring in accordance with someembodiments.

FIG. 7 depicts a simple example two-dimensional enclosure, according tosome embodiments.

FIG. 8 depicts a diagram illustrating example multi-path transmissionwithin a vehicle, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 9 depicts a diagram having various example reflectors for improvingwireless charging performance within a vehicle, in accordance with someembodiments.

FIGS. 10A-10G depict example illustrations of transmissions within avehicle leveraging the multipath environment, in accordance with someembodiments.

FIG. 11 depicts a flow diagram illustrating an example process forwireless power delivery within a multipath vehicle environment, inaccordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 12 depicts a flow diagram illustrating an example process foroptimizing the surfaces within a vehicle to improve wireless powerdelivery therein, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 13 depicts a flow diagram illustrating an example process forgenerating a multi-path schedule for wireless power delivery within avehicle, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 14 depicts a diagram illustrating an example console fordirectionally focusing a charger, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example vehicle having an embeddedor integrated fixed-point wireless charging system (or wireless charger)for powering in-car circuitry (e.g., power reception elements),according to some embodiments.

FIGS. 16A and 16B depict various example space vehicles with integratedwireless chargers (for fixed point charger and/or non-fixed pointcharging).

FIGS. 17-19 depict various additional example deployments of vehicleswith integrated wireless chargers (for fixed point charger and/ornon-fixed point charging), according to some embodiments.

FIG. 20 depicts a block diagram illustrating example components of arepresentative mobile device or tablet computer with one or morewireless power receiver clients in the form of a mobile (or smart) phoneor tablet computer device in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 21 depicts a diagrammatic representation of a machine, in theexample form, of a computer system within which a set of instructions,for causing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein, may be executed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description and drawings are illustrative and are not tobe construed as limiting. Numerous specific details are described toprovide a thorough understanding of the disclosure. However, in certaininstances, well-known or conventional details are not described in orderto avoid obscuring the description. References to one or an embodimentin the present disclosure can be, but not necessarily are, references tothe same embodiment; and, such references mean at least one of theembodiments.

Reference in this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment”means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic describedin connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodimentof the disclosure. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” invarious places in the specification are not necessarily all referring tothe same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodimentsmutually exclusive of other embodiments. Moreover, various features aredescribed which may be exhibited by some embodiments and not by others.Similarly, various requirements are described which may be requirementsfor some embodiments but no other embodiments.

The terms used in this specification generally have their ordinarymeanings in the art, within the context of the disclosure, and in thespecific context where each term is used. Certain terms that are used todescribe the disclosure are discussed below, or elsewhere in thespecification, to provide additional guidance to the practitionerregarding the description of the disclosure. For convenience, certainterms may be highlighted, for example using italics and/or quotationmarks. The use of highlighting has no influence on the scope and meaningof a term; the scope and meaning of a term is the same, in the samecontext, whether or not it is highlighted. It will be appreciated thatthe same thing can be said in more than one way.

Consequently, alternative language and synonyms may be used for any oneor more of the terms discussed herein, nor is any special significanceto be placed upon whether or not a term is elaborated or discussedherein. Synonyms for certain terms are provided. A recital of one ormore synonyms does not exclude the use of other synonyms. The use ofexamples anywhere in this specification, including examples of any termsdiscussed herein, is illustrative only, and is not intended to furtherlimit the scope and meaning of the disclosure or of any exemplifiedterm. Likewise, the disclosure is not limited to various embodimentsgiven in this specification.

Without intent to further limit the scope of the disclosure, examples ofinstruments, apparatus, methods and their related results according tothe embodiments of the present disclosure are given below. Note thattitles or subtitles may be used in the examples for convenience of areader, which in no way should limit the scope of the disclosure. Unlessotherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein havethe same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in theart to which this disclosure pertains. In the case of conflict, thepresent document, including definitions, will control.

Any headings provided herein are for convenience only and do notnecessarily affect the scope or meaning of the claimed invention.

I. Wireless Power Transmission System Overview/Architecture

FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram including an example wireless powerdelivery environment 100 illustrating wireless power delivery from oneor more wireless power transmission systems (WPTS) 101 a-n (alsoreferred to as “wireless power delivery systems”, “antenna arraysystems” and “wireless chargers”) to various wireless devices 102 a-nwithin the wireless power delivery environment 100, according to someembodiments. More specifically, FIG. 1 illustrates an example wirelesspower delivery environment 100 in which wireless power and/or data canbe delivered to available wireless devices 102 a-102 n having one ormore wireless power receiver clients 103 a-103 n (also referred toherein as “clients” and “wireless power receivers”). The wireless powerreceiver clients are configured to receive and process wireless powerfrom one or more wireless power transmission systems 101 a-101 n.Components of an example wireless power receiver client 103 are shownand discussed in greater detail with reference to FIG. 4.

As shown in the example of FIG. 1, the wireless devices 102 a-102 ninclude mobile phone devices and a wireless game controller. However,the wireless devices 102 a-102 n can be any device or system that needspower and is capable of receiving wireless power via one or moreintegrated wireless power receiver clients 103 a-103 n. As discussedherein, the one or more integrated wireless power receiver clientsreceive and process power from one or more wireless power transmissionsystems 101 a-101 n and provide the power to the wireless devices 102a-102 n (or internal batteries of the wireless devices) for operationthereof.

Each wireless power transmission system 101 can include multipleantennas 104 a-n, e.g., an antenna array including hundreds or thousandsof antennas, which are capable of delivering wireless power to wirelessdevices 102 a-102 n. In some embodiments, the antennas areadaptively-phased RF antennas. The wireless power transmission system101 is capable of determining the appropriate phases with which todeliver a coherent power transmission signal to the wireless powerreceiver clients 103 a-103 n. The array is configured to emit a signal(e.g., continuous wave or pulsed power transmission signal) frommultiple antennas at a specific phase relative to each other. It isappreciated that use of the term “array” does not necessarily limit theantenna array to any specific array structure. That is, the antennaarray does not need to be structured in a specific “array” form orgeometry. Furthermore, as used herein the term “array” or “array system”may include related and peripheral circuitry for signal generation,reception and transmission, such as radios, digital logic and modems. Insome embodiments, the wireless power transmission system 101 can have anembedded Wi-Fi hub for data communications via one or more antennas ortransceivers.

The wireless devices 102 can include one or more wireless power receiverclients 103. As illustrated in the example of FIG. 1, power deliveryantennas 104 a-104 n are shown. The power delivery antennas 104 a areconfigured to provide delivery of wireless radio frequency power in thewireless power delivery environment. In some embodiments, one or more ofthe power delivery antennas 104 a-104 n can alternatively oradditionally be configured for data communications in addition to or inlieu of wireless power delivery. The one or more data communicationantennas are configured to send data communications to and receive datacommunications from the wireless power receiver clients 103 a-103 nand/or the wireless devices 102 a-102 n. In some embodiments, the datacommunication antennas can communicate via Bluetooth™, Wi-Fi™, ZigBee™,etc. Other data communication protocols are also possible.

Each wireless power receiver client 103 a-103 n includes one or moreantennas (not shown) for receiving signals from the wireless powertransmission systems 101 a-101 n. Likewise, each wireless powertransmission system 101 a-101 n includes an antenna array having one ormore antennas and/or sets of antennas capable of emitting continuouswave or discrete (pulse) signals at specific phases relative to eachother. As discussed above, each the wireless power transmission systems101 a-101 n is capable of determining the appropriate phases fordelivering the coherent signals to the wireless power receiver clients102 a-102 n. For example, in some embodiments, coherent signals can bedetermined by computing the complex conjugate of a received beacon (orcalibration) signal at each antenna of the array such that the coherentsignal is phased for delivering power to the particular wireless powerreceiver client that transmitted the beacon (or calibration) signal.

Although not illustrated, each component of the environment, e.g.,wireless device, wireless power transmission system, etc., can includecontrol and synchronization mechanisms, e.g., a data communicationsynchronization module. The wireless power transmission systems 101a-101 n can be connected to a power source such as, for example, a poweroutlet or source connecting the wireless power transmission systems to astandard or primary AC power supply in a building. Alternatively, oradditionally, one or more of the wireless power transmission systems 101a-101 n can be powered by a battery or via other mechanisms, e.g., solarcells, etc.

The wireless power receiver clients 102 a-102 n and/or the wirelesspower transmission systems 101 a-101 n are configured to operate in amultipath wireless power delivery environment. That is, the wirelesspower receiver clients 102 a-102 n and the wireless power transmissionsystems 101 a-101 n are configured to utilize reflective objects 106such as, for example, walls or other RF reflective obstructions withinrange to transmit beacon (or calibration) signals and/or receivewireless power and/or data within the wireless power deliveryenvironment. The reflective objects 106 can be utilized formulti-directional signal communication regardless of whether a blockingobject is in the line of sight between the wireless power transmissionsystem and the wireless power receiver clients 103 a-103 n.

As described herein, each wireless device 102 a-102 n can be any systemand/or device, and/or any combination of devices/systems that canestablish a connection with another device, a server and/or othersystems within the example environment 100. In some embodiments, thewireless devices 102 a-102 n include displays or other outputfunctionalities to present data to a user and/or input functionalitiesto receive data from the user. By way of example, a wireless device 102can be, but is not limited to, a video game controller, a serverdesktop, a desktop computer, a computer cluster, a mobile computingdevice such as a notebook, a laptop computer, a handheld computer, amobile phone, a smart phone, a PDA, a Blackberry device, a Treo, and/oran iPhone, etc. By way of example and not limitation, the wirelessdevice 102 can also be any wearable device such as watches, necklaces,rings or even devices embedded on or within the customer. Other examplesof a wireless device 102 include, but are not limited to, safety sensors(e.g., fire or carbon monoxide), electric toothbrushes, electronic doorlock/handles, electric light switch controller, electric shavers, etc.

Although not illustrated in the example of FIG. 1, the wireless powertransmission system 101 and the wireless power receiver clients 103a-103 n can each include a data communication module for communicationvia a data channel Alternatively, or additionally, the wireless powerreceiver clients 103 a-103 n can direct the wireless devices 102 a-102 nto communicate with the wireless power transmission system via existingdata communications modules. In some embodiments the beacon signal,which is primarily referred to herein as a continuous waveform, canalternatively or additionally take the form of a modulated signal.

FIG. 2 depicts a sequence diagram 200 illustrating example operationsbetween a wireless power delivery system (e.g., WPTS 101) and a wirelesspower receiver client (e.g., wireless power receiver client 103) forestablishing wireless power delivery in a multipath wireless powerdelivery, according to an embodiment. Initially, communication isestablished between the wireless power transmission system 101 and thepower receiver client 103. The initial communication can be, forexample, a data communication link that is established via one or moreantennas 104 of the wireless power transmission system 101. Asdiscussed, in some embodiments, one or more of the antennas 104 a-104 ncan be data antennas, wireless power transmission antennas, ordual-purpose data/power antennas. Various information can be exchangedbetween the wireless power transmission system 101 and the wirelesspower receiver client 103 over this data communication channel. Forexample, wireless power signaling can be time sliced among variousclients in a wireless power delivery environment. In such cases, thewireless power transmission system 101 can send beacon scheduleinformation, e.g., Beacon Beat Schedule (BBS) cycle, power cycleinformation, etc., so that the wireless power receiver client 103 knowswhen to transmit (broadcast) its beacon signals and when to listen forpower, etc.

Continuing with the example of FIG. 2, the wireless power transmissionsystem 101 selects one or more wireless power receiver clients forreceiving power and sends the beacon schedule information to the selectwireless power receiver clients 103. The wireless power transmissionsystem 101 can also send power transmission scheduling information sothat the wireless power receiver client 103 knows when to expect (e.g.,a window of time) wireless power from the wireless power transmissionsystem. The wireless power receiver client 103 then generates a beacon(or calibration) signal and broadcasts the beacon during an assignedbeacon transmission window (or time slice) indicated by the beaconschedule information, e.g., BBS cycle. As discussed herein, the wirelesspower receiver client 103 includes one or more antennas (ortransceivers) which have a radiation and reception pattern inthree-dimensional space proximate to the wireless device 102 in whichthe wireless power receiver client 103 is embedded.

The wireless power transmission system 101 receives the beacon from thepower receiver client 103 and detects and/or otherwise measures thephase (or direction) from which the beacon signal is received atmultiple antennas. The wireless power transmission system 101 thendelivers wireless power to the power receiver client 103 from themultiple antennas 103 based on the detected or measured phase (ordirection) of the received beacon at each of the corresponding antennas.In some embodiments, the wireless power transmission system 101determines the complex conjugate of the measured phase of the beacon anduses the complex conjugate to determine a transmit phase that configuresthe antennas for delivering and/or otherwise directing wireless power tothe wireless power receiver client 103 via the same path over which thebeacon signal was received from the wireless power receiver client 103.

In some embodiments, the wireless power transmission system 101 includesmany antennas. One or more of the many antennas may be used to deliverpower to the power receiver client 103. The wireless power transmissionsystem 101 can detect and/or otherwise determine or measure phases atwhich the beacon signals are received at each antenna. The large numberof antennas may result in different phases of the beacon signal beingreceived at each antenna of the wireless power transmission system 101.As discussed above, the wireless power transmission system 101 candetermine the complex conjugate of the beacon signals received at eachantenna. Using the complex conjugates, one or more antennas may emit asignal that takes into account the effects of the large number ofantennas in the wireless power transmission system 101. In other words,the wireless power transmission system 101 can emit a wireless powertransmission signal from the one or more antennas in such a way as tocreate an aggregate signal from the one or more of the antennas thatapproximately recreates the waveform of the beacon in the oppositedirection. Said another way, the wireless power transmission system 101can deliver wireless RF power to the wireless power receiver clients viathe same paths over which the beacon signal is received at the wirelesspower transmission system 101. These paths can utilize reflectiveobjects 106 within the environment. Additionally, the wireless powertransmission signals can be simultaneously transmitted from the wirelesspower transmission system 101 such that the wireless power transmissionsignals collectively match the antenna radiation and reception patternof the client device in a three-dimensional (3D) space proximate to theclient device.

As shown, the beacon (or calibration) signals can be periodicallytransmitted by wireless power receiver clients 103 within the powerdelivery environment according to, for example, the BBS, so that thewireless power transmission system 101 can maintain knowledge and/orotherwise track the location of the power receiver clients 103 in thewireless power delivery environment. The process of receiving beaconsignals from a wireless power receiver client 103 at the wireless powertransmission system and, in turn, responding with wireless powerdirected to that particular wireless power receiver client is referredto herein as retrodirective wireless power delivery.

Furthermore, as discussed herein, wireless power can be delivered inpower cycles defined by power schedule information. A more detailedexample of the signaling required to commence wireless power delivery isdescribed now with reference to FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram illustrating example components of awireless power transmission system 300, in accordance with anembodiment. As illustrated in the example of FIG. 3, the wirelesscharger 300 includes a master bus controller (MBC) board and multiplemezzanine boards that collectively comprise the antenna array. The MBCincludes control logic 310, an external data interface (I/F) 315, anexternal power interface (I/F) 320, a communication block 330 and proxy340. The mezzanine (or antenna array boards 350) each include multipleantennas 360 a-360 n. Some or all of the components can be omitted insome embodiments. Additional components are also possible. For example,in some embodiments only one of communication block 330 or proxy 340 maybe included.

The control logic 310 is configured to provide control and intelligenceto the array components. The control logic 310 may comprise one or moreprocessors, FPGAs, memory units, etc., and direct and control thevarious data and power communications. The communication block 330 candirect data communications on a data carrier frequency, such as the basesignal clock for clock synchronization. The data communications can beBluetooth™ Wi-Fi™, ZigBee™, etc., including combinations or variationsthereof. Likewise, the proxy 340 can communicate with clients via datacommunications as discussed herein. The data communications can be, byway of example and not limitation, Bluetooth™, Wi-Fi™ ZigBee™, etc.Other communication protocols are possible.

In some embodiments, the control logic 310 can also facilitate and/orotherwise enable data aggregation for Internet of Things (IoT) devices.In some embodiments, wireless power receiver clients can access, trackand/or otherwise obtain IoT information about the device in which thewireless power receiver client is embedded and provide that IoTinformation to the wireless power transmission system 300 over a dataconnection. This IoT information can be provided to via an external datainterface 315 to a central or cloud-based system (not shown) where thedata can be aggregated, processed, etc. For example, the central systemcan process the data to identify various trends across geographies,wireless power transmission systems, environments, devices, etc. In someembodiments, the aggregated data and or the trend data can be used toimprove operation of the devices via remote updates, etc. Alternatively,or additionally, in some embodiments, the aggregated data can beprovided to third party data consumers. In this manner, the wirelesspower transmission system acts as a Gateway or Enabler for the IoTs. Byway of example and not limitation, the IoT information can includecapabilities of the device in which the wireless power receiver clientis embedded, usage information of the device, power levels of thedevice, information obtained by the device or the wireless powerreceiver client itself, e.g., via sensors, etc.

The external power interface 320 is configured to receive external powerand provide the power to various components. In some embodiments, theexternal power interface 320 may be configured to receive a standardexternal 24 Volt power supply. In other embodiments, the external powerinterface 320 can be, for example, 120/240 Volt AC mains to an embeddedDC power supply which sources the required 12/24/48 Volt DC to providethe power to various components. Alternatively, the external powerinterface could be a DC supply which sources the required 12/24/48 VoltsDC. Alternative configurations are also possible.

In operation, the MBC, which controls the wireless power transmissionsystem 300, receives power from a power source and is activated. The MBCthen activates the proxy antenna elements on the wireless powertransmission system and the proxy antenna elements enter a default“discovery” mode to identify available wireless receiver clients withinrange of the wireless power transmission system. When a client is found,the antenna elements on the wireless power transmission system power on,enumerate, and (optionally) calibrate.

The MBC then generates beacon transmission scheduling information andpower transmission scheduling information during a scheduling process.The scheduling process includes selection of power receiver clients. Forexample, the MBC can select power receiver clients for powertransmission and generate a BBS cycle and a Power Schedule (PS) for theselected wireless power receiver clients. As discussed herein, the powerreceiver clients can be selected based on their corresponding propertiesand/or requirements.

In some embodiments, the MBC can also identify and/or otherwise selectavailable clients that will have their status queried in the ClientQuery Table (CQT). Clients that are placed in the CQT are those on“standby”, e.g., not receiving a charge. The BBS and PS are calculatedbased on vital information about the clients such as, for example,battery status, current activity/usage, how much longer the client hasuntil it runs out of power, priority in terms of usage, etc.

The Proxy Antenna Element (AE) broadcasts the BBS to all clients. Asdiscussed herein, the BBS indicates when each client should send abeacon. Likewise, the PS indicates when and to which clients the arrayshould send power to and when clients should listen for wireless power.Each client starts broadcasting its beacon and receiving power from thearray per the BBS and PS. The Proxy AE can concurrently query the ClientQuery Table to check the status of other available clients. In someembodiments, a client can only exist in the BBS or the CQT (e.g.,waitlist), but not in both. The information collected in the previousstep continuously and/or periodically updates the BBS cycle and/or thePS.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating example components of a wirelesspower receiver client 400, in accordance with some embodiments. Asillustrated in the example of FIG. 4, the receiver 400 includes controllogic 410, battery 420, an IoT control module 425, communication block430 and associated antenna 470, power meter 440, rectifier 450, acombiner 455, beacon signal generator 460, beacon coding unit 462 and anassociated antenna 480, and switch 465 connecting the rectifier 450 orthe beacon signal generator 460 to one or more associated antennas 490a-n. Some or all of the components can be omitted in some embodiments.For example, in some embodiments, the wireless power receiver client 400does not include its own antennas but instead utilizes and/or otherwiseshares one or more antennas (e.g., Wi-Fi antenna) of the wireless devicein which the wireless power receiver client is embedded. Moreover, insome embodiments, the wireless power receiver client may include asingle antenna that provides data transmission functionality as well aspower/data reception functionality. Additional components are alsopossible.

A combiner 455 receives and combines the received power transmissionsignals from the power transmitter in the event that the receiver 400has more than one antenna. The combiner can be any combiner or dividercircuit that is configured to achieve isolation between the output portswhile maintaining a matched condition. For example, the combiner 455 canbe a Wilkinson Power Divider circuit. The rectifier 450 receives thecombined power transmission signal from the combiner 455, if present,which is fed through the power meter 440 to the battery 420 forcharging. In other embodiments, each antenna's power path can have itsown rectifier 450 and the DC power out of the rectifiers is combinedprior to feeding the power meter 440. The power meter 440 can measurethe received power signal strength and provides the control logic 410with this measurement.

Battery 420 can include protection circuitry and/or monitoringfunctions. Additionally, the battery 420 can include one or morefeatures, including, but not limited to, current limiting, temperatureprotection, over/under voltage alerts and protection, and coulombmonitoring.

The control logic 410 receives and processes the battery power levelfrom the battery 420 itself. The control logic 410 may alsotransmit/receive via the communication block 430 a data signal on a datacarrier frequency, such as the base signal clock for clocksynchronization. The beacon signal generator 460 generates the beaconsignal, or calibration signal, transmits the beacon signal using eitherthe antenna 480 or 490 after the beacon signal is encoded.

It may be noted that, although the battery 420 is shown as charged by,and providing power to, the wireless power receiver client 400, thereceiver may also receive its power directly from the rectifier 450.This may be in addition to the rectifier 450 providing charging currentto the battery 420, or in lieu of providing charging. Also, it may benoted that the use of multiple antennas is one example of implementationand the structure may be reduced to one shared antenna.

In some embodiments, the control logic 410 and/or the IoT control module425 can communicate with and/or otherwise derive IoT information fromthe device in which the wireless power receiver client 400 is embedded.Although not shown, in some embodiments, the wireless power receiverclient 400 can have one or more data connections (wired or wireless)with the device in which the wireless power receiver client 400 isembedded over which IoT information can be obtained. Alternatively, oradditionally, IoT information can be determined and/or inferred by thewireless power receiver client 400, e.g., via one or more sensors. Asdiscussed above, the IoT information can include, but is not limited to,information about the capabilities of the device in which the wirelesspower receiver client 400 is embedded, usage information of the devicein which the wireless power receiver client 400 is embedded, powerlevels of the battery or batteries of the device in which the wirelesspower receiver client 400 is embedded, and/or information obtained orinferred by the device in which the wireless power receiver client isembedded or the wireless power receiver client itself, e.g., viasensors, etc.

In some embodiments, a client identifier (ID) module 415 stores a clientID that can uniquely identify the wireless power receiver client 400 ina wireless power delivery environment. For example, the ID can betransmitted to one or more wireless power transmission systems whencommunication is established. In some embodiments, wireless powerreceiver clients may also be able to receive and identify other wirelesspower receiver clients in a wireless power delivery environment based onthe client ID.

An optional motion sensor 495 can detect motion and signal the controllogic 410 to act accordingly. For example, a device receiving power mayintegrate motion detection mechanisms such as accelerometers orequivalent mechanisms to detect motion. Once the device detects that itis in motion, it may be assumed that it is being handled by a user, andwould trigger a signal to the array to either to stop transmittingpower, or to lower the power transmitted to the device. In someembodiments, when a device is used in a moving environment like a car,train or plane, the power might only be transmitted intermittently or ata reduced level unless the device is critically low on power.

FIGS. 5A and 5B depict diagrams illustrating an example multipathwireless power delivery environment 500, according to some embodiments.The multipath wireless power delivery environment 500 includes a useroperating a wireless device 502 including one or more wireless powerreceiver clients 503. The wireless device 502 and the one or morewireless power receiver clients 503 can be wireless device 102 of FIG. 1and wireless power receiver client 103 of FIG. 1 or wireless powerreceiver client 400 of FIG. 4, respectively, although alternativeconfigurations are possible. Likewise, wireless power transmissionsystem 501 can be wireless power transmission system 101 FIG. 1 orwireless power transmission system 300 of FIG. 3, although alternativeconfigurations are possible. The multipath wireless power deliveryenvironment 500 includes reflective objects 506 and various absorptiveobjects, e.g., users, or humans, furniture, etc.

Wireless device 502 includes one or more antennas (or transceivers) thathave a radiation and reception pattern 510 in three-dimensional spaceproximate to the wireless device 102. The one or more antennas (ortransceivers) can be wholly or partially included as part of thewireless device 102 and/or the wireless power receiver client (notshown). For example, in some embodiments one or more antennas, e.g.,Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc. of the wireless device 502 can be utilized and/orotherwise shared for wireless power reception. As shown in the exampleof FIGS. 5A and 5B, the radiation and reception pattern 510 comprises alobe pattern with a primary lobe and multiple side lobes. Other patternsare also possible.

The wireless device 502 transmits a beacon (or calibration) signal overmultiple paths to the wireless power transmission system 501. Asdiscussed herein, the wireless device 502 transmits the beacon in thedirection of the radiation and reception pattern 510 such that thestrength of the received beacon signal by the wireless powertransmission system, e.g., received signal strength indication (RSSI),depends on the radiation and reception pattern 510. For example, beaconsignals are not transmitted where there are nulls in the radiation andreception pattern 510 and beacon signals are the strongest at the peaksin the radiation and reception pattern 510, e.g., peak of the primarylobe. As shown in the example of FIG. 5A, the wireless device 502transmits beacon signals over five paths P1-P5. Paths P4 and P5 areblocked by reflective and/or absorptive object 506. The wireless powertransmission system 501 receives beacon signals of increasing strengthsvia paths P1-P3. The bolder lines indicate stronger signals. In someembodiments the beacon signals are directionally transmitted in thismanner, for example, to avoid unnecessary RF energy exposure to theuser.

A fundamental property of antennas is that the receiving pattern(sensitivity as a function of direction) of an antenna when used forreceiving is identical to the far-field radiation pattern of the antennawhen used for transmitting. This is a consequence of the reciprocitytheorem in electromagnetism. As shown in the example of FIGS. 5A and 5B,the radiation and reception pattern 510 is a three-dimensional lobeshape. However, the radiation and reception pattern 510 can be anynumber of shapes depending on the type or types, e.g., horn antennas,simple vertical antenna, etc. used in the antenna design. For example,the radiation and reception pattern 510 can comprise various directivepatterns. Any number of different antenna radiation and receptionpatterns are possible for each of multiple client devices in a wirelesspower delivery environment.

Referring again to FIG. 5A, the wireless power transmission system 501receives the beacon (or calibration) signal via multiple paths P1-P3 atmultiple antennas or transceivers. As shown, paths P2 and P3 are directline of sight paths while path P1 is a non-line of sight path. Once thebeacon (or calibration) signal is received by the wireless powertransmission system 501, the power transmission system 501 processes thebeacon (or calibration) signal to determine one or more receivecharacteristics of the beacon signal at each of the multiple antennas.For example, among other operations, the wireless power transmissionsystem 501 can measure the phases at which the beacon signal is receivedat each of the multiple antennas or transceivers.

The wireless power transmission system 501 processes the one or morereceive characteristics of the beacon signal at each of the multipleantennas to determine or measure one or more wireless power transmitcharacteristics for each of the multiple RF transceivers based on theone or more receive characteristics of the beacon (or calibration)signal as measured at the corresponding antenna or transceiver. By wayof example and not limitation, the wireless power transmitcharacteristics can include phase settings for each antenna ortransceiver, transmission power settings, etc.

As discussed herein, the wireless power transmission system 501determines the wireless power transmit characteristics such that, oncethe antennas or transceivers are configured, the multiple antennas ortransceivers are operable to transmit a wireless power signal thatmatches the client radiation and reception pattern in thethree-dimensional space proximate to the client device. FIG. 5Billustrates the wireless power transmission system 501 transmittingwireless power via paths P1-P3 to the wireless device 502.Advantageously, as discussed herein, the wireless power signal matchesthe client radiation and reception pattern 510 in the three-dimensionalspace proximate to the client device. Said another way, the wirelesspower transmission system will transmit the wireless power signals inthe direction in which the wireless power receiver has maximum gain,e.g., will receive the most wireless power. As a result, no signals aresent in directions in which the wireless power receiver cannot receiver,e.g., nulls and blockages. In some embodiments, the wireless powertransmission system 501 measures the RSSI of the received beacon signaland if the beacon is less than a threshold value, the wireless powertransmission system will not send wireless power over that path.

The three paths shown in the example of FIGS. 5A and 5B are illustratedfor simplicity, it is appreciated that any number of paths can beutilized for transmitting power to the wireless device 502 depending on,among other factors, reflective and absorptive objects in the wirelesspower delivery environment.

Although the example of FIG. 5A illustrates transmitting a beacon (orcalibration) signal in the direction of the radiation and receptionpattern 510, it is appreciated that, in some embodiments, beacon signalscan alternatively or additionally be omni-directionally transmitted.

II. Wireless Charging in Multipath Vehicle Environments

Attention will now be focused on wireless power delivery and, morespecifically, focused wireless power delivery, in environments whereinline-of-sight transmission is not necessarily available. This type oftransmission environment is particularly relevant when discussingvehicles due to the nature of the space. For example, a vehicle is oftenconstructed from materials including metals, plastics, etc., which havedielectric constants that are significantly greater than air.Accordingly, these materials have reflective surfaces (both for RFsignals and ultrasonic transmissions) that can contribute to partialreflection or absorption of wireless power transmissions.

Moreover, vehicle interiors are often crowded, leading to few directpaths for energy transmission between wireless power transmissionsystems (or chargers) and devices receiving wireless power. Thus, powermay be delivered via paths that reflect off of various surfaces.Furthermore, by applying novel algorithms and processing to the wirelesspower transmissions, as outlined in U.S. application Ser. No.14/186,344, entitled “Method and Apparatus for Focused DataCommunications,” which is incorporated in its entirety by this referenceherein, the wireless power (or energy) signals can be made to arrive inphase and simultaneously (or near simultaneously) at a single area viamultiple paths thereby effectively generating a ‘pulse’ of higher energydelivery.

FIGS. 6A and 6B depict top and side views, 600A and 600B, respectively,of an example vehicle in the form of a car with wireless chargingcapabilities. More specifically, the examples of FIGS. 6A and 6Billustrate a wireless power transmission system (or wireless charger)601 which may be a stand-alone system, integrated into the vehicle,e.g., during the manufacture process, or otherwise retrofitted orbuild-in to the vehicle in some other manner In some embodiments, thewireless power transmission system 601 is integrated into the centerconsole of the vehicle. The console charging location provides severaladvantages. For example, the console is centrally located within thecharging environment, is close to statistically common locations where adevice receiving wireless power is likely to be placed in the vehicle,and is within a line of sight of the most common locations a devicewould be placed in the vehicle. In some embodiments, wireless powertransmission system 601 may alternately or additionally be placed withinthe vehicle dashboard, in the ceiling of the vehicle, etc. The aboveenumerated advantages of locating the charger in the console may applyequally to these other locations.

It can be assumed that if a car is running, a person, e.g., driver, islocated in the driver's seat of a car, and thus, if the driver has adevice on their person, it is most likely to be located in or around thefront seating area of the vehicle. In a typical sedan type car there aretwo front seats and a rear three-seat bench. Thus, it can be safelyassumed that there is a person located in the driver's seat when thevehicle is running and probabilistic models can determine the likelihoodof passengers in other seats. Additionally, many newer model cars havepressure sensory input to determine if a passenger is present forseatbelt reminders, etc. If a passenger has a device, it will typicallybe located near the passenger. For example, in the case of a frontpassenger, the device is likely located in a passenger's pocket, in thecenter console, or on the dashboard. Thus, when the passengers'positions are known, this reduces the likely positioning of devices withthe vehicle. One unique advantage of a vehicle as a wireless chargingenvironment is that the distances are relatively small between thewireless power transmission system and the device receiving wirelesspower. Unlike a building, where a device requiring energy may be thirtyor more feet away from a wireless power transmission system, thephysical confines of a vehicle ensures that the wireless powertransmission system and the device receiving wireless power are locatedrelatively close to one another.

As discussed above, when a vehicle is on, it is presumed that a personis located in the driver's seat and thus, if the driver has a device ontheir person, the device is most likely to be located in or around thefront seating area of the vehicle. This places the device directlyadjacent to the center console, and when the device receives power, itis likely to be in close proximity to a person. Consequently, totalpower delivery can be truncated to reduce exposure to the person. Thevery close distance between the device receiving the wireless power andthe wireless power transmission system 601 allows the wireless powertransmission system 601 to provide very low power transfers in thedirection of the passengers, and yet still have an impact upon deviceenergy levels. In cases where the device located further away, such lowtransmission would likely be insufficient to provide the device withwireless power.

By way of example, if a device is placed on the dashboard of the car,the device is now located approximately two feet from the wireless powertransmission system 601 compared to mere inches. However, placing aphone in the center console or the dashboard is common practice for manypeople, as it allows rapid access to the device. By locating thewireless power transmission system 601 within the center console, it maybe possible to direct the energy transmissions along the central axis ofthe vehicle in order to ensure the device receives appreciable powerregardless of its location within the vehicle. In FIGS. 6A and 6B, alocation may be designated within the vehicle at 610, for example, whereit is convenient to place the device and where power transmissions arefocused. Transmission focusing may rely upon reflective surfaces and/orphase variances across an arrayed antenna, as will be discussed ingreater detail below.

Unlike magnetic or induction coupling based charging, which alsoleverages having a ‘spot’ for the phone, the type of focused wirelesscharging discussed herein does not require direct placement of the phoneon a charging pad. Rather, the device cradle indicated in the FIGS. 6Aand 6B may merely allow for the user to have a convenient location tostore the device. The device will receive charging regardless of whereor how it is placed in the vehicle, which is a distinct and substantialadvantage over any induction-based system. Additionally, if the deviceis moved, or even in use, charging can continue uninterrupted.

Although not shown in the examples of FIGS. 6A and 6B, in someembodiments, a vehicle may have one or more solar cells (not shown)located on a roof member which could convert solar energy into directcurrent. This direct current may then be fed to the wireless powertransmission system 601 to generate the wireless energy transmissions.Such a system may be particularly beneficial when the system is beinginstalled “after market” or to appeal to the environmentally consciencesconsumer. Additionally, a solar based system would allow charging whenthe vehicle was turned off without training the vehicles battery.

FIG. 7 depicts a simple example two-dimensional enclosure 700, accordingto some embodiments. Within enclosure 700 are shown two antennas, 710and 720, between which power is exchanged, and a representative obstacle705. As shown in the example of FIG. 7, wireless power is transmittedfrom antenna 710 is to antenna 720 over various signal paths 730, 740,750 and 760. Path 730 is a direct path between the antennas, paths 740and 750 are paths with one reflection, and path 760 is a path with tworeflections. These four paths are shown for simplicity, any number ofpaths, including many paths, are possible. As discussed herein, eachpath can have any number of reflections. However, due to loss in signalat reflection points, often only direct paths, and those paths withrelatively lossless or few reflections are of interest. It should beevident that if antenna 710 is isotropic in two dimensions then almostany direction of radiation emanating from the antenna can trace a path,which, after multiple reflections in some instances, arrives at thereceiving antenna 720. Initially it can be assumed that the reflectionsare symmetric about the normal to the surface (specular reflection) thatthe ray is reflected from, and exclude the cases where a ray traces itspath over and over without arriving at the receiver, since these latterare not particularly interesting and represent wasted power lost intransmission.

The shortest path from the transmitter 710 to the receiver 720 is thedirect path 730 which will exhibit the lowest loss. Other paths arelonger, involve at least one reflection and, in addition to thetransmission loss, except in the case where the reflecting surface is aperfect conductor having no loss, e.g., a resistivity of zero, therewill also be loss in the reflector itself. The propagation velocity ofthe signal is relatively constant and so the phase change per unitlength will be the same anywhere in the transmission path. Reflectionfrom a perfect conductor does not involve any loss, however it doescause a phase reversal of the tangential component of the incident waveat the reflecting surface. That is, a single reflection causes a 180°offset in the perceived phase delay. Given this, it may be difficult todetermine, absent the path detail, whether the signal is phase shifteddue to multiple reflections or if in fact the path length is solelyresponsible for the measured result.

It is comparatively rare that reflections from walls and objects areloss free and so reflected signals will be weaker than those which takea direct path. Depending on the surface, a mean attenuation of between 2and 5 decibels (dB) is expected at each reflection and since therelative signal level of every received signal is determinable in suchsystems, the system may discount certain signal paths as being lessdesirable than others so that transmitting power to the intended powerreceiver may take advantage of this by avoiding known lossy paths. Forexample, the human body takes up a considerable volume within a vehicle.Due to vehicle design, the passengers present are generally relativelystationary (literally belted into a single seat position). The humanbody is also a very poor reflector, and thus RF transmissions areprimarily absorbed upon striking the body. This is not advantageous asit reduces the effectiveness of power delivery and/or communication datarates. Moreover, it is also important to limit exposure to RF energywhich may have health or safety implications (real or perceived).Advantageously, the system is capable of identifying lossy paths andavoiding these paths for power transmissions. Accordingly, the systemcan naturally create (or generate) “null” or dead zone(s) around humanoccupants in a vehicle.

Although a signal path may not always be reciprocal, e.g., because ofthe effects of polarization rotation and the fact that the environmentcan change over time, the latter is piecewise static and it may beassumed that for the most part the propagation from one antenna toanother is a reversible process in the short term.

FIG. 8 depicts a diagram illustrating example multi-path transmissionwithin a vehicle 800, in accordance with some embodiments. Morespecifically, the example of FIG. 8 illustrates various possible pathswithin vehicle 800 over which wireless power transmission can occur. Asshown in the example of FIG. 8, vehicle 800 includes a wireless powertransmission system (or charger) 801 which is configured to transmit toa device which the vehicle. As shown, the device receives wireless powerat a focusing spot 810. The wireless power transmission system (orcharger) 801 may be wireless power transmission system 101 of FIG. 1 orwireless power transmission system 300 of FIG. 3, although alternativeconfigurations are possible. Likewise, the device can be any devicehaving a wireless power receiver client, e.g., wireless power receiverclient 103 of FIG. 1 or wireless power receiver client 400 of FIG. 4.

As shown in the example of FIG. 8, a path 802, 804, 808 and 810 areshown. Path 802 is a direct path, path 804 travels away from the deviceand strikes perpendicular to the rear windshield. Typically, glassemployed in a vehicle is relatively transparent to an RF signal whichmay allow the transmission to exit the vehicle environment. This resultsin system loss and is generally undesirable. In some embodiments,windows may be treated in the manufacturing process to be reflective tothe RF signals being transmitted. For some manufacturers of vehicles, anoptimal level of reflectiveness of the interior surfaces may be achievedin order to balance power delivery with the need for the device tocommunicate externally, e.g., with cellular towers or other datacommunications.

Based on the transmission mechanism, various surfaces may have differentreflective properties. For example, if the energy being transferred issent as ultrasonic acoustic vibrations, the windows may be veryreflective, whereas the vehicle ceiling material may absorb much of theacoustic energy. In order to address this, fabrics facing the vehicleinterior may be backed with a plastic membrane that allows even thesesurfaces to be relatively reflective to acoustic energy.

Returning to a use case where RF signals are used for transmission ofthe energy, path 806 illustrates an example whereby some of the RFenergy is reflected toward the device, and other energy exits throughthe window glass. In contrast, path 808 strikes the vehicle's ceiling810. The fabric interior may result in some minor loss of RF amplitude,but the bulk of this signal passes through the relatively thin interiorcoverings. As shown in the example of FIG. 8, the body of vehicle 800can be composed of metal, e.g., steel or aluminum, which are excellentreflectors of the RF energy. Additionally, plastics or other compositematerials with preferable reflective properties may be incorporated intothe vehicle's design to allow for additional RF paths. Thus, energy viapath 808 reaches the device with very little loss in intensity. Thesemultiple paths may be relied upon to maximize power delivery, and whencombined with temporal modulation of the phase being transmitted, mayresult in constructive interference at the device (i.e., multipathfocusing).

FIG. 9 depicts a diagram having various example reflectors for improvingwireless charging performance within a vehicle 900, in accordance withsome embodiments. More specifically, FIG. 9 illustrates an example ofhow to further enhance the reflective nature of a vehicle environmentthrough reflective surfaces 910 a-910 c strategically located within theinterior of the vehicle. As previously noted, some level of transparencyto RF signals is required to maintain communication between the deviceand outside sources (such as cellular towers), however, thistransparency is a negative factor with regards to wireless powerdelivery. Nonetheless, not all surfaces impact power delivery andcellular service equally. For example, cell signals are typically beingtransmitted from the horizon (or overhead). These signals take fulladvantage of the window placement in vehicles. Few communication signalsarrive from below the vehicle, and thus reflective surfaces on theseating or floor of the vehicles would have minimal impact upon cellularservice.

In contrast, a wireless power transmission system charger located withinthe car, having seating or floors that are reflective can significantlyimpact the number and amplitude of paths available for charging thedevice. A vehicle floor is already relatively reflective as it is madeof steel with a relatively thin carpet covering. Adding sheet steel, ora wire mesh, to floor mats may allow even greater reflection sincetraditional floor mats are typically thick rubber and carpeting, whichmay limit signal reflections. Additionally, seating within the vehicleis often flush and prone to absorption of the energy transmissions. Someseating incorporates a wire mesh for warming or heating when a currentis applied. Such wire meshes also enhance the reflective properties ofthe seat. In some embodiments, reflectors 910 a-910 c comprise metalscreens or meshes that are incorporated just below upholstery on thevehicle seats to enhance RF reflections within the vehicle interior.

Additionally, to take advantage of the high reflective nature of avehicle interior, some embodiments of the currently disclosed systememploy an antenna array capable of steering the transmissions to arriveat the destination through the least lossy paths. In order to achievethis multipath focusing, the system must generate one or more testsignals that are transmitted. The amplitude, time and phase of thereceived signals corresponding to the test transmission correspond todifferent transmission paths. The difference between the phase of thereceived transmissions across the array may be utilized in order togenerate a schedule for the reversed transmission.

FIGS. 10A-10G depict example illustrations of transmissions within avehicle leveraging the multipath environment, in accordance with someembodiments. More specifically, FIGS. 10A-10G provide various exampleillustrations for the mechanism of delivering power and communicationsignals along multiple pathways in order to avoid ‘lossy’ pathways. Asdiscussed, in some embodiments, the methods leverage antenna arrays tophase the signals to directionally orient the transmissions. In general,the directional transmissions will avoid absorptive surfaces (such ashuman passengers) thereby introducing increased safety and effectivenessof the charging and/or communication.

Referring first to FIG. 10A, a device (here a mobile device) is seentransmitting an omnidirectional signal (or beacon) requesting a charge.The omni-directional signal is presented here as a number of vectorsemanating from the device in all directions. Some of the signals arelost through the car window due to the relative RF transparency of theglass. Other signals are absorbed by the passenger. The beacon signalgenerated by the device is relatively weak, generally lower in amplitudethan the cellular signal emanating from the device already. Thus, it isentirely safe when absorbed by the passenger. However, signals thatstrike the interior surfaces of the vehicle that are more reflective,are bounced along alternate trajectories.

FIG. 10B depicts a second illustration at a subsequent point in time. Inthe example of FIG. 10B, reflected signals being dispersed in a numberof directions is shown. Some of these signals are shown reaching thecenter console where the charging device is located. Other signalscontinue reflecting until their amplitude is diminished below athreshold, or are absorbed by the objects within the vehicle.

The device may send out multiple pulsed transmissions requesting power(e.g., beacons), as shown in FIG. 10C. Due to movement, some of thesetransmissions may vary from the previous trajectories, but alternatetransmissions may be the same, or similar to the previous power requesttransmission. In this illustration, some of the reflected signals fromthe initial transmission are arriving at the charger from very differentdirections, while simultaneously a second omnidirectional transmission(e.g., beacon) is being initiated by the device requesting power.

The wireless charger compiles the various received signals to findsimilar phase information indicating relatively stable pathways betweenthe device and the charger. In some embodiments, each antenna in thecharger array determines the time and phase offset from the device.Then, each antenna of the charger array may be tuned, based upon thisoffset, in order to enable retransmission back along the identified“good” paths. FIG. 10D provides an illustration of this returntransmission. As discussed herein, rather than the transmission beingomnidirectional, only some directions (or paths) are utilized for thetransmission. The total energy envelope of the transmission may be thesame as an omnidirectional transmission, but the directional focusingmay allow higher amplitude signals along the desired paths. Thesesignals reflect from the same surfaces initially employed by the requestsignal, as shown in FIG. 10E. Advantageously, the signals are focused onthe device, and very little signal energy is lost through the glasswindows or absorbed by the passengers.

FIG. 10F provides the next image of this return transmission in the timeseries. Again, note that almost all transmissions terminate at thedevice rather than elsewhere within the vehicle. FIG. 10G provides yetanother perspective of the received signals. As shown, due to thecomplex geometry within a vehicle, the transmissions may be reflectedfrom very divergent trajectories.

FIG. 11 depicts a flow diagram illustrating an example process 1100 forwireless power delivery within a multipath vehicle environment, inaccordance with some embodiments. One or more components of a wirelesspower transmission system (or charger) such as, for example, wirelesspower transmission system 101 of FIG. 1, or wireless power transmissionsystem 300 of FIG. 3, can, among other functions, perform the exampleprocess 1100.

Initially a charger is deployed within the vehicle. The charger may becentrally located, such as within the center console. Alternatively, thecharger may be located within the ceiling of the vehicle, under a seat,within the dashboard, or deployed at other suitable locations, includingcombinations or variations thereof. For example, in some embodiments,the vehicle may have a suite of chargers deployed within the interior,each focusing on a particular region, or otherwise working in tandem todeliver power. For simplicity of discussion, the example of FIG. 11 isdiscussed with reference to a single centrally located charger.

To begin, at 1120, the charger receives a beacon transmission from thedevice requesting power. At 1130, the beacon signal is utilized by thecharger to determine time and phase offsets of the various antennaelements within the charging array. At 1140, the offsets between antennaelements are used by a tuning algorithm to set parameters for eachantenna in the array. At 1150, the charger (or array) transmits powerand/or data in accordance with the parameters.

As previously noted, by tuning in this manner the return transmission isfocused back along the trajectories that the signals originated from.This corresponds to the most efficient pathways between the charger andoriginal device. The paths limit exposure to human occupants of thevehicle and avoid other sources of signal loss. Thus, the signalreceived back at the device is much stronger than an omnidirectionalsignal would be, given a constant total power envelope for thetransmission. As discussed herein, the system can periodicallyself-correct by listening for additional beacon signals from the device.At 1160, if the received signals have alternate offsets than previouslydetected, these offsets indicate that the device or something in theenvironment has changed. If so, the process may undergo a retuningprocess, at 1170, by leveraging the new offset data. In this manner, thetransmissions remain focused on the device—even in dynamic environments.

FIG. 12 depicts a flow diagram illustrating an example process 1200 foroptimizing the surfaces within a vehicle to improve wireless powerdelivery therein, in accordance with some embodiments. Morespecifically, example process 1200 is provided for the calibration of avehicle for optimal reflections of the energy transmissions. Such aprocess may be employed during the design phase for a vehicle with awireless system integrated into its design or as an optional feature.The process begins with developing an understanding of where in thevehicle the signals should be focusing, where null regions are optimallylocated, and the overall reflection levels within the environment, at110. Then a determination may be made of the actual signal reflectionslevels within the vehicle, at 1220. This may include the identificationof ‘hot spots’ in locations where such amplifications are not desired.

Using this reflection information, additional reflection treatments maybe incorporated into the vehicle design which optimizes the reflectionlevels, and modulates locations of hot spots to improve performance, at1230. As previously noted, some locations may benefit the reflectiveproperties of the vehicles interior without compromising cellularconnectivity between a device and some external transmitter. Theseinclude incorporating metal wire mesh or screens into seat structuresand/or floor mats. It may also be desirable to alter existing metalstructural components of the vehicle such that the reflective surfacesare oriented at different angles to move the location of hot spots ifthey are in undesired locations.

FIG. 13 depicts a flow diagram illustrating an example process 1300 forgenerating a multi-path schedule for wireless power delivery within avehicle, in accordance with some embodiments. More specifically, exampleprocess 1300 describes an optimization of signal focusing using time andphase delays. This example process is known as multipath focusing ofsignals, and is a further clarification of step 1140 of FIG. 11. One ormore components of a wireless power transmission system (or charger)such as, for example, wireless power transmission system 101 of FIG. 1,or wireless power transmission system 300 of FIG. 3, can, among otherfunctions, perform the example process 1300.

Initially, at 1310, the transmitter sends a pulsed signal (or burst).The receiver records the transmission including information such astiming, phase of the received waves, polarity frequency, etc., at 1320.This collected information may be employed to generate a transmissionschedule, at 1330, which is the inverse timing of the signal receipt,and phase adjusted such that all the signals are received in phase toone another.

The power is then transmitted in accordance to the generated schedule,at 1340. When possible, the receiver of the power transmission maymonitor the delivered power, at 1350, and report back the results to thecharger. If the power received continues to be as expected, the powerschedule may be repeated indefinitely. However, the power received isnot according to expectations, at 1360, then something within theenvironment has changed which has resulted in an alteration of thepathway. In such circumstances, a new pulse may be transmitted to updatethe powering transmission schedule. It should be noted that because theenvironment is rarely static, in some implementations, set-uptransmissions are requested every pre-determined time interval ratherthan through feedback of power delivered. In some embodiments, intervalsare typically between 100 ms and 5 seconds. If an environment proves tobe very slow to change, so that more than two set-up sequences arerepeated with very similar results, then the time interval betweenrequests for set-up may be increased to reduce power that is beingwasted by asking for set-up sequences too frequently.

FIG. 14 depicts a diagram illustrating an example console 1400 fordirectionally focusing a charger, in accordance with some embodiments.More specifically, in addition to utilizing reflective surfacesthroughout the vehicle's interior and relying on multipath focusing ofsignals for power delivery, it is also possible to generate a chargerconsole unit that is capable of targeting power delivery to desiredpower locations. FIG. 14 depicts an example illustration of a centerconsole 1400 for a vehicle that incorporates a wireless powertransmission system (or charger) 1401 within the arm rest 1410. Thewireless power transmission system 1401 can be, for example, wirelesspower transmission system 101 of FIG. 1, or wireless power transmissionsystem 300 of FIG. 3, although alternative configurations are possible.

Arm rest 1410 may be comprised of relatively transparent material forthe form of energy being transmitted. For example, for RF transmissions,the console may include thinner materials with limited inclusion ofmetals. Alternatively, for acoustic transmissions, the console may beconfigured to resonate with the transmission frequency. Thus, console1400 construction may be dependent upon the medium of energy transferfrom the charger 1401.

In the example of FIG. 14, the charger 1401 includes an array of RFantenna that allows for the determination of direction of incomingsignals. As discussed herein, the charger may also enable beamforming toorient outgoing transmissions as illustrated in the examples of FIGS.10A-10G. In addition to, or as an alternative to beamforming, theconsole may also incorporate specifically shaped reflectors that allowfor targeting of transmissions. In such instances, the console 1400includes a parabolic or hyperbolic reflector 1420 that causes some ofthe transmissions from an omnidirectional transmitting charger 1401 tobe reflected in parallel in a forward and upward direction. In someembodiments, the direction may directly face the ‘sweet spot’ of theconsole and dashboard where a user is likely to place a device. As thisreflector only covers a portion of the area of the charger, otherlocations within the vehicle may also receive signals, but at a lowerintensity as compared to the targeted regions. Even when employing anarray, where each antenna is tuned in to generate directional/focusedsignals, the process generates “side lobes” of signal. A backingreflector may limit the loss of such inadvertent side lobes byredirecting these signals out into the environment.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example vehicle 1500 having anembedded or integrated fixed-point wireless charging system (or wirelesscharger) for powering in-car circuitry (e.g., power reception elements),according to some embodiments. As shown in the example of FIG. 15, thewireless charger is built into the roof of the vehicle; however, it isappreciated that one or more fixed-point wireless chargers can beintegrated into almost any portion of the vehicle. For example, afixed-point wireless charger could be designed and integrated into adashboard of the vehicle and powered-by the vehicle's existing battery.Alternatively or additionally, and as shown, a fixed-point wirelesscharger can be built into the roof of vehicle and powered by solarpanels integrated into the roof of the vehicle.

It is also appreciated that, in some embodiments, a wireless charger canoperate to deliver wireless power to both (non-beaconing) fixed-pointpower reception elements and mobile (beaconing) power reception clients,e.g., power receivers built into mobile devices, etc. In someembodiments, the locations of the fixed-point power reception elementscan be pre-configured, e.g., at installation and/or configuration timeof the wireless charger.

Additional Vehicle Embodiments

By way of example, and not limitation, a vehicle as described herein,can comprise, among other things, a car, a spaceship, a train, ahyperloop system, a bus, an airplane, etc. As previously discussed, thetechniques and systems described herein can reduce wiring and, thus,reduce technical issues and/or deployment costs for wireless poweredelectronic circuitry and/or functionality in any of these environments.Furthermore, in some embodiments, e.g., spacecraft embodiments, havingboth wired and wireless power options might be beneficial for systemredundancy.

FIGS. 16A and 16B depict various example space vehicles with integratedwireless chargers (for fixed point charger and/or non-fixed pointcharging). As discussed above, the wireless chargers can powerin-vehicle electronic circuitry without the need to provide wiringthroughout. Alternatively or additionally, as discussed above, thewireless charging can be used as part of a failsafe or redundancymechanism.

FIGS. 17-19 depict various additional example deployments of vehicleswith integrated wireless chargers (for fixed point charger and/ornon-fixed point charging), according to some embodiments.

FIG. 20 depicts a block diagram illustrating example components of arepresentative mobile device or tablet computer 2000 with a wirelesspower receiver or client in the form of a mobile (or smart) phone ortablet computer device, according to an embodiment. Various interfacesand modules are shown with reference to FIG. 20, however, the mobiledevice or tablet computer does not require all of the modules orfunctions for performing the functionality described herein. It isappreciated that, in many embodiments, various components are notincluded and/or necessary for operation of the category controller. Forexample, components such as Global Positioning System (GPS) radios,cellular radios, and accelerometers may not be included in thecontrollers to reduce costs and/or complexity. Additionally, componentssuch as ZigBee™ radios and RFID transceivers, along with antennas, canpopulate the Printed Circuit Board.

The wireless power receiver client can be a power receiver client 103 ofFIG. 1, although alternative configurations are possible. Additionally,the wireless power receiver client can include one or more RF antennasfor reception of power and/or data signals from a power transmissionsystem, e.g., wireless power transmission system 101 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 21 depicts a diagrammatic representation of a machine, in theexample form, of a computer system within which a set of instructions,for causing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein, may be executed.

In the example of FIG. 21, the computer system includes a processor,memory, non-volatile memory, and an interface device. Various commoncomponents (e.g., cache memory) are omitted for illustrative simplicity.The computer system 2100 is intended to illustrate a hardware device onwhich any of the components depicted in the example of FIG. 1 (and anyother components described in this specification) can be implemented.For example, the computer system can be any radiating object or antennaarray system. The computer system can be of any applicable known orconvenient type. The components of the computer system can be coupledtogether via a bus or through some other known or convenient device.

The processor may be, for example, a conventional microprocessor such asan Intel Pentium microprocessor or Motorola power PC microprocessor. Oneof skill in the relevant art will recognize that the terms“machine-readable (storage) medium” or “computer-readable (storage)medium” include any type of device that is accessible by the processor.

The memory is coupled to the processor by, for example, a bus. Thememory can include, by way of example but not limitation, random accessmemory (RAM), such as dynamic RAM (DRAM) and static RAM (SRAM). Thememory can be local, remote, or distributed.

The bus also couples the processor to the non-volatile memory and driveunit. The non-volatile memory is often a magnetic floppy or hard disk, amagnetic-optical disk, an optical disk, a read-only memory (ROM), suchas a CD-ROM, EPROM, or EEPROM, a magnetic or optical card, or anotherform of storage for large amounts of data. Some of this data is oftenwritten, by a direct memory access process, into memory during executionof software in the computer 2100. The non-volatile storage can be local,remote, or distributed. The non-volatile memory is optional becausesystems can be created with all applicable data available in memory. Atypical computer system will usually include at least a processor,memory, and a device (e.g., a bus) coupling the memory to the processor.

Software is typically stored in the non-volatile memory and/or the driveunit. Indeed, for large programs, it may not even be possible to storethe entire program in the memory. Nevertheless, it should be understoodthat for software to run, if necessary, it is moved to a computerreadable location appropriate for processing, and for illustrativepurposes, that location is referred to as the memory in this paper. Evenwhen software is moved to the memory for execution, the processor willtypically make use of hardware registers to store values associated withthe software, and local cache that, ideally, serves to speed upexecution. As used herein, a software program is assumed to be stored atany known or convenient location (from non-volatile storage to hardwareregisters) when the software program is referred to as “implemented in acomputer-readable medium”. A processor is considered to be “configuredto execute a program” when at least one value associated with theprogram is stored in a register readable by the processor.

The bus also couples the processor to the network interface device. Theinterface can include one or more of a modem or network interface. Itwill be appreciated that a modem or network interface can be consideredto be part of the computer system. The interface can include an analogmodem, ISDN modem, cable modem, token ring interface, satellitetransmission interface (e.g. “direct PC”), or other interfaces forcoupling a computer system to other computer systems. The interface caninclude one or more input and/or output devices. The I/O devices caninclude, by way of example but not limitation, a keyboard, a mouse orother pointing device, disk drives, printers, a scanner, and other inputand/or output devices, including a display device. The display devicecan include, by way of example but not limitation, a cathode ray tube(CRT), liquid crystal display (LCD), or some other applicable known orconvenient display device. For simplicity, it is assumed thatcontrollers of any devices not depicted in the example of FIG. 21 residein the interface.

In operation, the computer system 2100 can be controlled by operatingsystem software that includes a file management system, such as a diskoperating system. One example of operating system software withassociated file management system software is the family of operatingsystems known as Windows® from Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash.,and their associated file management systems. Another example ofoperating system software with its associated file management systemsoftware is the Linux operating system and its associated filemanagement system. The file management system is typically stored in thenon-volatile memory and/or drive unit and causes the processor toexecute the various acts required by the operating system to input andoutput data and to store data in the memory, including storing files onthe non-volatile memory and/or drive unit.

Some portions of the detailed description may be presented in terms ofalgorithms and symbolic representations of operations on data bitswithin a computer memory. These algorithmic descriptions andrepresentations are the means used by those skilled in the dataprocessing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their workto others skilled in the art. An algorithm is here, and generally,conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of operations leading to adesired result. The operations are those requiring physicalmanipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily,these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capableof being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwisemanipulated. It has proven convenient at times, principally for reasonsof common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements,symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like.

It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar termsare to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and aremerely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unlessspecifically stated otherwise, as apparent from the followingdiscussion, it is appreciated that throughout the description,discussions utilizing terms such as “processing” or “computing” or“calculating” or “determining” or “displaying” or the like, refer to theaction and processes of a computer system, or similar electroniccomputing device, that manipulates and transforms data represented asphysical (electronic) quantities within the computer system's registersand memories into other data similarly represented as physicalquantities within the computer system memories or registers or othersuch information storage, transmission or display devices.

The algorithms and displays presented herein are not inherently relatedto any particular computer or other apparatus. Various general purposesystems may be used with programs in accordance with the teachingsherein, or it may prove convenient to construct more specializedapparatus to perform the methods of some embodiments. The requiredstructure for a variety of these systems will appear from thedescription below. In addition, the techniques are not described withreference to any particular programming language, and variousembodiments may thus be implemented using a variety of programminglanguages.

In alternative embodiments, the machine operates as a standalone deviceor may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networkeddeployment, the machine may operate in the capacity of a server or aclient machine in a client-server network environment or as a peermachine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment.

The machine may be a server computer, a client computer, a personalcomputer (PC), a tablet PC, a laptop computer, a set-top box (STB), apersonal digital assistant (PDA), a cellular telephone, an iPhone, aBlackberry, a processor, a telephone, a web appliance, a network router,switch or bridge, or any machine capable of executing a set ofinstructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be takenby that machine.

While the machine-readable medium or machine-readable storage medium isshown in an exemplary embodiment to be a single medium, the term“machine-readable medium” and “machine-readable storage medium” shouldbe taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., acentralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches andservers) that store the one or more sets of instructions. The term“machine-readable medium” and “machine-readable storage medium” shallalso be taken to include any medium that is capable of storing, encodingor carrying a set of instructions for execution by the machine and thatcause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies of thepresently disclosed technique and innovation.

In general, the routines executed to implement the embodiments of thedisclosure, may be implemented as part of an operating system or aspecific application, component, program, object, module or sequence ofinstructions referred to as “computer programs.” The computer programstypically comprise one or more instructions set at various times invarious memory and storage devices in a computer, and that, when readand executed by one or more processing units or processors in acomputer, cause the computer to perform operations to execute elementsinvolving the various aspects of the disclosure.

Moreover, while embodiments have been described in the context of fullyfunctioning computers and computer systems, those skilled in the artwill appreciate that the various embodiments are capable of beingdistributed as a program product in a variety of forms, and that thedisclosure applies equally regardless of the particular type of machineor computer-readable media used to actually effect the distribution.

Further examples of machine-readable storage media, machine-readablemedia, or computer-readable (storage) media include but are not limitedto recordable type media such as volatile and non-volatile memorydevices, floppy and other removable disks, hard disk drives, opticaldisks (e.g., Compact Disk Read-Only Memory (CD ROMS), Digital VersatileDisks, (DVDs), etc.), among others, and transmission type media such asdigital and analog communication links.

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout thedescription and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” and thelike are to be construed in an inclusive sense, as opposed to anexclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of“including, but not limited to.” As used herein, the terms “connected,”“coupled,” or any variant thereof, means any connection or coupling,either direct or indirect, between two or more elements; the coupling ofconnection between the elements can be physical, logical, or acombination thereof. Additionally, the words “herein,” “above,” “below,”and words of similar import, when used in this application, shall referto this application as a whole and not to any particular portions ofthis application. Where the context permits, words in the above DetailedDescription using the singular or plural number may also include theplural or singular number, respectively. The word “or,” in reference toa list of two or more items, covers all of the following interpretationsof the word: any of the items in the list, all of the items in the list,and any combination of the items in the list.

The above detailed description of embodiments of the disclosure is notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the teachings to the precise formdisclosed above. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, thedisclosure are described above for illustrative purposes, variousequivalent modifications are possible within the scope of thedisclosure, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. Forexample, while processes or blocks are presented in a given order,alternative embodiments may perform routines having steps, or employsystems having blocks, in a different order, and some processes orblocks may be deleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined, and/ormodified to provide alternative or subcombinations. Each of theseprocesses or blocks may be implemented in a variety of different ways.Also, while processes or blocks are, at times, shown as being performedin a series, these processes or blocks may instead be performed inparallel, or may be performed at different times. Further, any specificnumbers noted herein are only examples: alternative implementations mayemploy differing values or ranges.

The teachings of the disclosure provided herein can be applied to othersystems, not necessarily the system described above. The elements andacts of the various embodiments described above can be combined toprovide further embodiments.

Any patents and applications and other references noted above, includingany that may be listed in accompanying filing papers, are incorporatedherein by reference. Aspects of the disclosure can be modified, ifnecessary, to employ the systems, functions, and concepts of the variousreferences described above to provide yet further embodiments of thedisclosure.

These and other changes can be made to the disclosure in light of theabove Detailed Description. While the above description describescertain embodiments of the disclosure, and describes the best modecontemplated, no matter how detailed the above appears in text, theteachings can be practiced in many ways. Details of the system may varyconsiderably in its implementation details, while still beingencompassed by the subject matter disclosed herein. As noted above,particular terminology used when describing certain features or aspectsof the disclosure should not be taken to imply that the terminology isbeing redefined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics,features, or aspects of the disclosure with which that terminology isassociated. In general, the terms used in the following claims shouldnot be construed to limit the disclosure to the specific embodimentsdisclosed in the specification, unless the above Detailed Descriptionsection explicitly defines such terms. Accordingly, the actual scope ofthe disclosure encompasses not only the disclosed embodiments, but alsoall equivalent ways of practicing or implementing the disclosure underthe claims.

While certain aspects of the disclosure are presented below in certainclaim forms, the inventors contemplate the various aspects of thedisclosure in any number of claim forms. For example, while only oneaspect of the disclosure is recited as a means-plus-function claim under35 U.S.C. § 112(1), other aspects may likewise be embodied as ameans-plus-function claim, or in other forms, such as being embodied ina computer-readable medium. (Any claims intended to be treated under 35U.S.C. § 112(1) will begin with the words “means for”.) Accordingly, theapplicant reserves the right to add additional claims after filing theapplication to pursue such additional claim forms for other aspects ofthe disclosure.

The detailed description provided herein may be applied to othersystems, not necessarily only the system described above. The elementsand acts of the various examples described above can be combined toprovide further implementations of the invention. Some alternativeimplementations of the invention may include not only additionalelements to those implementations noted above, but also may includefewer elements. These and other changes can be made to the invention inlight of the above Detailed Description. While the above descriptiondefines certain examples of the invention, and describes the best modecontemplated, no matter how detailed the above appears in text, theinvention can be practiced in many ways. Details of the system may varyconsiderably in its specific implementation, while still beingencompassed by the invention disclosed herein. As noted above,particular terminology used when describing certain features or aspectsof the invention should not be taken to imply that the terminology isbeing redefined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics,features, or aspects of the invention with which that terminology isassociated. In general, the terms used in the following claims shouldnot be construed to limit the invention to the specific examplesdisclosed in the specification, unless the above Detailed Descriptionsection explicitly defines such terms. Accordingly, the actual scope ofthe invention encompasses not only the disclosed examples, but also allequivalent ways of practicing or implementing the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: determining a receivedsignal strength of a radio frequency (RF) signal received via aplurality of paths at two or more antennas of a plurality of antennas ofan antenna array; configuring parameters for transmission of a wirelesspower signal over one or more paths of the plurality of paths for whichthe received signal strength exceeds a threshold value; and directing atleast a portion of the plurality of antennas to transmit the wirelesspower signal over the one or more paths according to the parameters. 2.The method of claim 1, further comprising directing at least one of theplurality of antennas to transmit a data signal according to theparameters.
 3. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining,based on the received signal strength, one or more least lossy paths ofthe plurality of paths, wherein directing the at least a portion of theplurality of antennas to transmit the wireless power signal comprisesdirecting the at least a portion of the plurality of antennas totransmit the wireless power signal using the one or more least lossypaths.
 4. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining at leastone time, or phase, offset of the RF signal received via the pluralityof paths, wherein configuring the parameters for the wireless powersignal comprises configuring the parameters based on the at least onetime, or phase, offset.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein: determiningat least one time, or phase, offset of the RF signal comprisesdetermining at least one time offset of the RF signal; and configuringthe parameters for the wireless power signal comprises configuring theparameters based on the at least one time offset.
 6. The method of claim4, wherein: determining at least one time, or phase, offset of the RFsignal comprises determining at least one phase offset of the RF signal;and configuring the parameters for the wireless power signal comprisesconfiguring the parameters based on the at least one phase offset. 7.The method of claim 4, wherein: determining at least one time, or phase,offset of the RF signal comprises determining at least one time offset,and at least one phase offset, of the RF signal; and configuring theparameters for the wireless power signal comprises configuring theparameters based on: the at least one time offset, and the at least onephase offset.
 8. The method of claim 1 further comprising periodicallyfocusing wireless power signal transmissions on one or more fixedlocations within a wireless power delivery environment.
 9. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising identifying the one or more paths for whichthe received signal strength exceeds the threshold value.
 10. A systemcomprising: an antenna array including a plurality of antennas; controlcircuitry coupled to the antenna array, and configured to: determine areceived signal strength of a radio frequency (RF) signal received via aplurality of paths at two or more antennas of the plurality of antennas;configure parameters for transmission of a wireless power signal overone or more paths of the plurality of paths for which the receivedsignal strength exceeds a threshold value; and direct at least a portionof the plurality of antennas to transmit the wireless power signal overthe one or more paths according to the parameters.
 11. The system ofclaim 10, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to directthe two or more antennas to transmit a training signal.
 12. The systemof claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured todetermine at least one of timing, and phase, information for at leastone signal received by the antenna array in response to the trainingsignal.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein to determine the at leastone of timing, and phase, information, the control circuitry is furtherconfigured to determine timing information for the at least one signal.14. The system of claim 13, wherein to configure the parameters fortransmission of the wireless power signal, the control circuitry isfurther configured to configure the parameters based on the timinginformation.
 15. The system of claim 12, wherein to determine at leastone of: timing, and phase, information, the control circuitry is furtherconfigured to determine phase information for the at least one signal.16. The system of claim 15, wherein to configure the parameters fortransmission of the wireless power signal, the control circuitry isfurther configured to configure the parameters based on the phaseinformation.
 17. The system of claim 12, wherein to determine at leastone of: timing, and phase, information, the control circuitry is furtherconfigured to determine: timing information, and phase information, forthe at least one signal.
 18. The system of claim 17, wherein toconfigure the parameters for transmission of the wireless power signal,the control circuitry is further configured to configure the parametersbased on: the timing information, and the phase information.
 19. Thesystem of claim 12, wherein: the control circuitry is further configuredto generate a wireless power signal transmission schedule based on theat least one of: timing, and phase, information for the at least onesignal; and to direct the at least a portion of the plurality ofantennas to transmit the wireless power signal, the control circuitry isfurther configured to direct the at least a portion of the plurality ofantennas to transmit the wireless power signal further according to thewireless power signal transmission schedule.
 20. One or morenon-transitory computer readable media storing program instructionswhich, when executed by at least one processor, cause a machine to:determine a received signal strength of a radio frequency (RF) signalreceived via a plurality of paths at two or more antennas of a pluralityof antennas of an antenna array; configure parameters for transmissionof a wireless power signal over one or more paths of the plurality ofpaths for which the received signal strength exceeds a threshold value;and direct at least a portion of the plurality of antennas to transmitthe wireless power signal over the one or more paths according to theparameters.